SWIMMING: Indians three-peat as SISL champs
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Swimming Indians are once again champions of the Southern Illinois Swim League after beating out Salem by 28 points at Saturday's championship meet in Anna. Du Quoin has now won the last three SISL Championships.
Five Du Quoin swimmers also earned high point honors in their age groups - Caleb Gomes (boys 13-14), Jerry Kuhnert (boys 15-18), Amelia McLain (girls 9-10), Olivia Cravens (girls 11-12) and Haley Kuhnert (girls 13-14) - winning all three solo races they entered.
Seven others finished in the top three: Cooper Rice (3, boys 6&un), Nicholas King (2, boys 13-14), Trevor Jones (2, boys 15-18), Lauren Heape (3, girls 7-8), Madilyn McLain (3-tie, girls 9-10), Lauren Cravens (3-tie, girls 9-10), and Alexandria Gossman (girls 11-12).
Seven team records were beaten or improved upon by Indian swimmers at Saturday's Championships.
Paxton Higgerson (boys 11-12) was second in the 50m breaststroke (40.13) and 100m individual medley (1:22.37), bettering his own records in both events. In the same age group, Aaron Korbar improved on his Du Quoin record in the 50m butterfly with a second place finish at 34.69.
Jones, J. Kuhnert, Caseton Luthy and Cole Cobin won both the medley and freestyle relays in the boys 15-18 group, setting a new Indians mark in the medley at 2:04.03.
On the girls' side, two relay records fell. A. McLain, M. McLain, L. Cravens and Elizabeth Bird trimmed their time in the 9-10 100m medley to 1:18.03 while the 13-14 medley team of Quinn Kirkpatrick, H. Kuhnert, O. Cravens and Madeline Cravens set a new record time of 2:26.33. Both teams were winners on Saturday, with the 9-10 group also claiming the freestyle race.
Lauren Heape also broke a Du Quoin record in the girls 7-8 freestyle (18.01), finishing first.
Du Quoin's 11-12 girls relay team of Rachel Gomes, Savannah Valerius, Maddison Dorsey and Gossman took the freestyle win, and R. Gomes, Matilyn Harsy, Gossman and Valerius won the medley.
The Swimming Indians received a police and fire truck escort through Du Quoin upon their return on Saturday afternoon.
Du Quoin's point total of 596.5 beat out Salem (568.5), Herrin (444.5), Marion (323.5), Anna (140) and Mt. Vernon (135).
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